Word - Framing

We are about to hit a stopping point or a bottle neck.  When working with antique timbers you have to be ahead of the game when determining what you need to order because finding antique timbers and getting them to the site to install is not a task that happens like ordering studs from the local lumber yard.  We have a couple of sources that we work with but it seems that speedy response time is not a characteristic common in the antique lumber business.  So we are trying to get our timbers for the connector porch and the porch off the kitchen but more importantly then both of those is the tie-logs that the client has decided to add to the inside of the timber structure.  Those have to be installed before the final roof goes in so we can use the structure to help pull the timbers into place.


In the meantime we are trying to coordinate the final foundation retaining walls for the driveway.  The site is so tight it's hard to coordinate lumber deliveries and getting work done around the excavation work that is needed to pour the last wall, not to mention the dreaded engineering that is needed.

Weather - Tropical storm

Tropical storm Lee hit Sunday and rained clear through Tuesday night.  I don't want to complain because we certainly needed the rain, everything was so dry.  The rain also hit on a holiday weekend so that was good for work but maybe the tourist won't agree.  The temperature did drop after the rain and I think Tuesday night the temperature was in the 50's.  That makes me think of what is around the corner...WINTER.  I'm thinking we need to get these houses "shelled" in as soon as possible.

Komara - Framing

The new floor deck is installed using 14" TJI's and Advantec. The new pressure treated deck is built from 2x10's and bolted to the house every 16". That is more than is required by code but we want to make sure that this deck will withstand any party the client wants to have. The walls are constructed from 2x6 studs and 1/2" osb with house wrap. Soon we will be on to the next level, things are moving along quickly.

Komara - Foundations

The new foundation required engineering because the existing foundation consisted of a continuous footer of approximately 4" x 16" and a 6" block wall that did not have the cores filled. I'm always amazed when I see how houses were constructed many years ago and consider the myrid of changes that have occured over the years in order to build a better house, unfortunately it also means a more expensive house.

With engineering we had to dig pier pads around the house, digging under the existing footer and below the frost line, that was reinforced as a column was formed over each pad, all cores were poured solid and a continuous bond beam with rebar was formed around the entire block perimeter. Part of the old wall was torn down because it was not level or plumb and replaced with a poured concrete wall.

Komara - Demo

Starting the demolition on the existing structure. All of the demolition was done by hand which takes longer. I've been told that in larger cities there are groups of people that will do the demo for you and recycle the materials, using them for habitat house. I think that is a great idea. I wish that we had the ability to do that in our town but our habitat drop-off closed this year.

All that is left is the existing foundation and existing fireplace with chimney. We had to keep some part of the existing structure so that we could continue to use the existing septic system. The new house was designed to retain the existing footprint and keep the same number of bedrooms, otherwise we would have had to install a new septic field.

Kurnick - Septic evaluation

I'm starting to build a new project today. To begin, I visited the lot with the health department employee to evaluate the lot and determine if the current three bedroom septic system that was originally permitted for the lot can be increased to a four bedroom septic field. To give you a little history, the lots were divided up and evaluated for a standard three bedroom septic field in order for the developer to sell the lot but my client's house plan is for a four bedroom septic field so the evaluation needed to be redone. We were lucky in that my clients soil conditions and lot size were perfect for allowing an increase in the septic field size.

Kurnick - Design

I started a new design project. It started out that the client had a plan that was designed by an architect but after the client sent the plan to bid, they quickly realized the plan was not fitting into their budget. What I find often happens when working with some architects or designers is that they do not know the cost of building and the plan quickly get's out of control. It is difficult when the client has a long list of desires but I always assume that when a client tells me what their budget is, that is the number they want to use as a guide. It is important to always keep that number in mind when designing because certain aspects of the house like complicated rooflines, areas of the house that require too much foundation work, too much square footage, certain framing techniques all create additional cost that could be eliminated with a different design. I try to find the right combination of clients desires, budget constrants, asthetics, flow of the space, lot layout and development requirements in order to create the perfect plan for each client. It's a lot to keep in mind but every item is important and all of those goals must be met in the end. I redesigned the clients plan and now we are ready to move forward.